Lemann plans to propose that American society fundamentally changed in the second half of the twentieth century from privileging institutions, interacting in a pluralistic fashion, to privileging transactions. This lecture will be an intellectual history tracing the broad turn against strong institutions as a social ideal, in favor of efficiency and broad notions of fairness and justice.

Lemann continues to contribute to The New Yorker as a staff writer. He has published five books, most recently "Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War" (2006).